`MANAGING MATERIAL FLOW IN A MANUFACTURING PROCESS
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`Technical Field
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`[0001]
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`The present disclosure generally relates to using radio frequency identification
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`(RFID) technology to advantageously track, manage and control the flow of material
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`within a manufacturing process to make the manufacturing process more automatic and
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`efficient.
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`Background
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`[0002] Many manufacturing processes today are highly automated. However, in
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`some industries, manufacturing processes still require manual operation and/or human
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`intervention. An example industry with manually intensive manufacturing processes is
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`the corrugated packaging industry, which typically produces corrugated boxes, point—of—
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`purchase displays, and other kinds of paper based protective and distribution
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`packaging.
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`[0003]
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`In a typical corrugated plant, the manufacturing process can be generally
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`divided into four stages.
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`In the first stage, rolls of paper material, called rollstock, are
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`received and stored in a rollstock inventory area.
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`In the second stage, the paper rolls
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`are transferred to a wet end area of a corrugator or corrugation machine where the rolls
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`are converted into a continuous corrugated board by gluing multiple layers of paper
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`together in some manner, such as gluing a layer of corrugated paper with one or two
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`layers of smooth paper. At the end of the corrugator machine, the corrugated board or
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`paper is cut into sheets which are stacked before being placed in a work in process
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`(WIP) area to wait for further processing.
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`In the third stage, the stacks of corrugated
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`1
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`RFC - Exhibit 1005
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`
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`sheets are delivered from the WIP area to a finishing area where machines typically
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`called folders and gluers convert the sheets into boxes and other packaging or display
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`products through operations such as die-cutting, printing, stapling, folding and gluing.
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`During this stage, the boxes or other packaging and display products may be printed
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`using, for example, printing plates or may be painted to provide graphics on the
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`products.
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`In the fourth stage, finished goods coming off the finishing area are banded
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`and are palletized to get these finished goods ready for either storage in a warehouse or
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`dispatch and delivery to customers.
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`[0004]
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`In each stage of the manufacturing process, various manual operations are
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`typically performed. These manual operations are labor intensive and are generally
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`prone to human errors, thereby creating many problems and inefficiencies in the
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`corrugated plant. Such problems occur in inventory management where each received
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`roll must be manually labeled to be registered in the rollstock inventory. The location of
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`a roll in the rollstock area needs to be recorded so that the whereabouts of the roll can
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`be tracked. However, if a worker forgets to record the location of a roll or makes an
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`error in the recording of the location of a roll, then the roll may become lost in the
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`inventory. Poor inventory management may also cause a worker to transfer a wrong
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`roll from the rollstock area to the wet end area of the corrugator machine.
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`If the error is
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`not recognized, then the wrong roll will be used in the manufacturing process resulting
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`in the production of the wrong type of corrugated material or paper, increased cost and
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`poor quality.
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`If the error is recognized, then the worker must go back and spend
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`additional effort to manually search for the correct roll. Moreover, if the correct roll
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`cannot be found, then the worker may be forced to make a management decision by
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`choosing a different roll. As a result, costly unauthorized upgrades may occur in which
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`a more expensive roll is used to make a final product than is needed or called for by a
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`particular job.
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`[0005] Moreover, in many cases, it is difficult to track and manage partial rolls, which
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`are rolls that have been used for one or more jobs, but which still contain paper material
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`thereon.
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`in particular, operators typically know the amount of paper on a particular roll
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`within the rollstock area when the roll has never been used or when the roll is first
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`added to the inventory. However, after use, in which some of the paper from a
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`particular roll is removed, the roll is removed from the corrugator machine and is
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`returned to inventory.
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`in these cases, it is necessary to record the amount of paper
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`used from the roll during a particular manufacturing job, which is typically a manual
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`process.
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`If this record keeping is not performed or is performed inaccurately or
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`inconsistently, operators generally do not know how much paper is on a roll or do not
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`trust the records of how much paper is on a roll.
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`in these cases, operators typically opt
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`to use a new (previously unused roll) for a job instead of a partial roll which may or may
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`not have sufficient paper thereon for the job, to assure that the job can be completed
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`without running out of paper on the roll. This procedure leads to the existence of many
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`partial rolls in inventory, which take up space and increase manufacturing costs of the
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`plant because these rolls never get used, or are not matched correctly to the size of the
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`job, thereby creating wasted material.
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`[0006] Other problems can be found in process flow management of processes
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`where procedures require workers to manually track or label intermediate products and
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`finished goods so that the products can be located and delivered to the next processing
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`3
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`stage. For example, intermediate products such as stacks of corrugated sheets must
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`be manually labeled with proper job order numbers, in the WIP area to ensure proper
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`delivery to proper work stations in the finishing area. Likewise, finished goods coming
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`off the finishing area must be manually labeled with proper banding sequence numbers
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`so that workers can employ proper banding sequences in the banding machines.
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`However, mislabeling or failure to label the intermediate products may cause
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`considerable downtime or delays in the manufacturing process. Furthermore, errors in
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`manual labeling, may result in costly consequences if the products go missing or the
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`wrong products get made, for example, by having the wrong intermediate products
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`delivered to the wrong work stations in the finishing area or the intermediate or finished
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`products get banded using an incorrect banding procedure.
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`[0007]
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`Further problems exist in shipping management where the banded finished
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`goods must be manually documented in a loading bay so that a driver can find and ship
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`the correct products to customers. Due to time constraints, this type of manual
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`documentation is rarely performed. As a result, many times, the needed product is not
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`at the correct location so the driver or loader has to spend a great deal of effort to look
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`for the product in the loading bay. Once the driver finds the correct product and finishes
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`loading the truck, the driver must account for any under/over amount against a
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`customer shipping order. Errors and omissions in the manual documentation process
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`can lead to a myriad of shipping-related problems such as loading the wrong products
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`on a truck, recording the wrong products as being shipped, not recording the products
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`that are shipped, having under/over shipment of products, etc. These problems affect
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`the overall business by making customers feel dissatisfied and distrustful, as well as
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`increasing costs.
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`[0008] Many corrugated plants have adopted the use of barcode technology to
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`address some of the abovementioned problems. A barcode is an optical machine-
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`readable representation of data relating to an object that is attached to the barcode.
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`While the use of barcodes offers an improvement in accuracy over manual labeling,
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`manual operations are still needed because human operators must place barcode
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`readers in a direct line-of—sight to the printed barcode in order to register a read. Thus,
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`many problems still exist in corrugated plants that use barcodes. For example,
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`problems exist in inventory management where each received roll is registered in the
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`rollstock inventory by manually or automatically placing and scanning a barcode on the
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`roll, and a barcode on the side, or the ceiling, of an inventory aisle where the roll is
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`placed. However, if workers forget to scan both barcodes when storing a roll, or when
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`barcode readers fail, then the roll becomes lost in the inventory. Thus, despite the use
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`of a barcode system, the location of a roll in the rollstock still typically needs to be
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`manually recorded. Moreover, if a needed roll cannot be located in the rollstock, then
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`manual searching and scanning must be conducted in order to determine the
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`whereabouts of the roll. Problems also exist in process flow management procedures
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`that use barcodes.
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`In particular, currently, workers must manually scan the barcode on
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`the products or rolls before moving the rolls or finished product to the next processing or
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`delivery stage where another manual scan takes place to validate the movement. Time
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`constraints and barcode reader failures often compel workers to forgo such scans,
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`which may result in costly errors in the manufacturing process. When scanning
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`equipment fails, workers must enter information and data manually, which prompts the
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`same type of human errors that can occur with manual labeling. Still other problems
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`exist in shipping management where drivers must perform multiple scans to ensure that
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`the correct product is going to the correct vehicle for shipping. However, due to time
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`constraints and other factors, drivers rarely perform all the necessary scans, which
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`result in the wrong products being shipped and thus leads to dissatisfied customers and
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`waste.
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`[0009]
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`Printed barcodes have other shortcomings as well. A barcode can be easily
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`damaged, and if the barcode gets ripped, soiled or torn off, there is no way to make a
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`proper scan. Also, reading a barcode may be time-consuming if the barcode is not
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`properly oriented to the reader. Thus, with a barcode system, a large amount of manual
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`data collection activity is still needed, which leaves the manufacturing process manually
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`intensive and dependent on human intervention.
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`To provide improvement over barcodes, the use of radio frequency identification (RFID)
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`technology has been introduced in some portions of some manufacturing plants. A
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`conventional RFID system uses stationary or hand—held RFID readers to identify RFID
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`tags attached to objects. Unlike barcodes which must be physically located next to and
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`be in close or direct proximity to the barcode reader in order to read, RFID technology
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`does not typically require a tag to be in direct proximity to the reader. However, RFID
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`technology still requires some line-of—sight communication between the reader and tag
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`in order to register a read. Also, unlike barcodes, which offer read-only capability, each
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`RFID tag may be read and write capable, meaning that information can be altered in the
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`tag. Currently, the use of RFID tags in corrugated plants is limited to inventory
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`6
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`
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`management, in which each roll may have an associated RFID tag inserted manually
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`into the core of the roll
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`thereto that allows the roll to be registered in the rollstock
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`inventory when the roll passes near a stationary reader. This remote reading of the
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`RFID tag eliminates manual operations such as manually labeling or scanning the roll.
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`While the problems associated with not registering or improperly registering the roll in
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`the inventory may be mitigated with RFID tags, the roll may still become lost in the
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`inventory because the location of the roll in the rollstock still needs to be manually
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`recorded. Moreover, misplaced rolls can result in tedious manual searches because
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`stationary RFID readers cannot be used to locate arbitrarily placed rolls.
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`[0010] More particularly, one of the main problems with the current use of RFID in
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`corrugated plants is that the stationary RFID readers must be placed at specific spots or
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`locations within the plant and thus only provide nodal reading of tags. For example,
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`RFID readers are typically placed at doorways to define a portal or are placed at or near
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`a manufacturing area to define a read node. The tagged product can only be read at
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`these nodes within the plant, which leads to a lot of problems.
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`If a tagged product is
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`picked up from one manufacturing area and is transferred to a second manufacturing
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`area without going through a read node, then the location of the tagged product is still
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`lost or not accurately tracked. Moreover even when a transfer is completed properly,
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`the transfer is not recognized until the tagged product reaches the RFID reader defining
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`the portal or read node near the second manufacturing area. Moreover, the product is
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`only known to be at or near the read node. As a result, movement of a tagged product
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`within a plant is tracked inconsistently and very inaccurately using typical RFID
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`technology. Stationary readers also have a problem in that the signals sent out by the
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`readers tend to “reflect” off objects such as forklift or other objects, and create spurious
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`reads.
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`[0011]
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`Because RFID technology, as currently used in corrugated plants, requires the
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`use of a number of fixed or stationary RFID readers that can only detect the passage of
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`a tag past a particular point, plants have used hand-held RFID readers to assist in
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`tracking the whereabouts of products or raw materials, such as rollstock. However, the
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`use of handheld readers still requires human operators to carry the readers to a point
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`where tagged objects are located in order to read the tags on the products, in which
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`case the amount of manual operations is similar to that of the barcode system.
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`[0012]
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`Some efforts have been made in the pulp and paper industry to resolve the
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`problem of tracking the location of rolls of material in inventory without the use of
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`handheld readers. As disclosed in U.S. Pub. No. 2004/0102870, an RFID reader is
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`placed on a forklift which moves the reader around a warehouse to assist in locating
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`particular tagged rolls of paper. However, this approach only works when the forklift is
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`in close proximity to the rolls to which the tags are attached and so the forklift driver still
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`has to know the approximate location of the roll in the warehouse to begin a search for
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`a particular roll. Moreover, the tags are directional and the RFID reader requires some
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`line-of—sight to the tags. Thus, if a tag is on one side of the roll and the forklift is on the
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`other side, then the tag cannot be read by the reader.
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`[0013] Moreover, aside from inventory management, RFID usage has not been
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`incorporated into other processing functions such as process flow management or
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`shipping management, in corrugated plants. Some efforts have been made in to use
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`RFID to manage flow through a process, but these efforts are for throughput
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`8
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`management only and do not increase product quality or manufacturing efficiencies
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`within a plant. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,970,484 discloses a method that uses
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`RFID tags on boxes containing products flowing through a manufacturing line to
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`generate stop and go signals to control the throughput of the production process.
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`However, the method only functions to control the throughput of the process, and does
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`not actually control the flow of the process materials, for example, by determining what
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`materials are needed at what locations in the process or where materials should be sent
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`in order to assure that the proper or desired final product is being made.
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`Summary
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`[0014]
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`A process management system uses a radio frequency identification (RFID)
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`detection system which may be, for example, a phased array antenna based RFID
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`detection system, to track and manage material storage and flow in a manufacturing
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`process or plant. The process management system operates in conjunction with the
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`various machines that implement manufacturing stages or steps of the manufacturing
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`process to assure that the correct materials and processing procedures are used at or
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`on the various production machines of the process to produce a particular product as
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`defined by a job number or job order. The process management system is thereby able
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`to increase the efficiencies of the plant and to increase the quality of the plant
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`production by reducing or eliminating waste, manufacturing errors and shipping errors in
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`the production facility.
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`[0015] Generally speaking, the process management system employs a detection
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`and tracking system that uses RFID tags attached to various different materials in the
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`plant, such as raw materials, intermediate products or finished goods, to detect and
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`9
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`track the location of these materials at any time and or at any location in the plant.
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`In
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`one case, the RFID detection and tracking system uses phased array antennas
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`disposed within the plant to scan one or more areas in the plant periodically, so as to
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`detect the location or position of all of the RFID tags in that area in a three dimensional
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`(3D) view. The process management system may use the current location of the RFID
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`tags to determine where the materials needed for a production run are located in the
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`plant by associating the RFID tags on various of the plant materials with job numbers
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`defining products to be produced. The job numbers may also be associated with or
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`define manufacturing steps that need to be taken in the plant to produce the product
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`associated with the job number. The process management system may then implement
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`or manage a particular production run used for a job number by tracking the RFID tags
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`for the various materials to be used in the production run for the job number during the
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`production run to assure that the correct materials are used in the production run and to
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`assure that the correct processing steps or procedures are used at each of the various
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`stages of the production run.
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`If desired, the process management system may interface
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`with one or more controllers within the plant or the manufacturing process to prevent or
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`halt operation of the production machines unless the correct materials are at the correct
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`inputs of the production machines. Alternatively or additionally, the process
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`management system may assure that the correct production programming or
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`procedures are used at each stage of the production run by, for example, loading the
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`correct production programming into the machines based on the RFID tags associated
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`with the product or material being provided to the machine. As part of this process,
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`RFID tags may be applied to intermediate products created during the manufacturing
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`10
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`run to enable the process management system to track these intermediate products, so
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`as to assure that the correct intermediate products are provided to the correct
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`processing machines at the correct time when implementing a multi-stage production
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`run for a job number. Still further, records stored for RFID tags identifying a certain type
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`of intermediate product may be changed or altered to reflect changes in the
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`intermediate product as the product being created flows through the production facility
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`from one stage or step of manufacturing to another stage or step of manufacturing.
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`in
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`this manner, the process management system may assure that the production run for a
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`particular job uses the correct raw materials and that the production equipment is
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`configured or set up to implement the correct manufacturing and packaging steps for a
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`job number which, in turn, helps to assure that the correct product is made for a job
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`number.
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`[0016]
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`Still further, the process management system may use the RFID tracking
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`system to perform inventory management and control as well as to perform shipping
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`management and control.
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`In particular, the process management system may detect,
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`track or scan all of the inventory in an inventory area to determine what inventory is
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`present (based on the RFID tags detected during the scan), and provide a 3D view of
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`the location of each piece of inventory. This feature enables the process management
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`system to direct plant personnel to the correct location in the inventory area to get or
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`obtain the correct materials to be used in a production run. Still further, the process
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`management system may update records associated with RFID tags of material, such
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`as rolls of paper, to indicate or track the amount of material left on the roll, for example,
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`or other changes in the material.
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`In a similar manner, the process management system
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`11
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`
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`may use the RFID tracking system to detect and track finished goods in a loading bay
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`and may use this information to assure that the correct finished goods are loaded onto
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`the correct truck for shipping to a customer. This feature reduces shipping errors and
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`can further be used to automatically create bills of landing defining exactly what finished
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`goods are being shipped to the customer.
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`Brief Description of the Drawings
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`[0017]
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`Fig.
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`1
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`is a diagram illustrating an example inventory and process management
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`system that uses RFID technology to track inputs and outputs to manage or control the
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`process flow in a manufacturing process.
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`[0018]
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`Fig. 2 is a diagram illustrating a manufacturing process used in a corrugated
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`packaging plant in which the inventory and process management system illustrated in
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`Fig.
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`1 can be used.
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`[0019]
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`Fig. 3 is a diagram illustrating placement of RFID tags on various objects used
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`in the corrugated packaging plant shown in Fig. 2.
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`[0020]
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`Fig. 4 is a diagram illustrating the use and development of RFID tags and their
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`associated data structures in a manufacturing process of the corrugated packaging
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`plant illustrated in Fig. 2.
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`[0021]
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`Fig. 5 is a diagram representing an example application that tracks RFID
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`tagged inputs and outputs to manage inventory in the corrugated packaging plant
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`shown in Fig. 2.
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`12
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`[0022]
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`Fig. 6 is a diagram representing an example application that tracks RFID
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`tagged inputs and outputs to manage the process flow in a manufacturing process of
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`the corrugated packaging plant shown in Fig. 2.
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`[0023]
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`Fig. 7 is a flow chart of an example method that may be implemented by the
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`process management system of Fig. 1 to track RFID tagged inputs and outputs to
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`manage or control a manufacturing process.
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`Detailed Description
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`[0024]
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`An inventory and process management system uses RFID technology to track
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`and control the flow of inputs and outputs in a manufacturing process by using a single
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`or network of beam-steerable phased array antennas or other beam steerable antennas
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`to provide real-time, three dimensional
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`location detection and tracking of RFID tagged
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`materials and goods being used in the manufacturing process. The system uses the
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`detected location and movement of the RFID tagged materials and goods to perform
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`various steps in managing the flow or use of materials within a process to increase the
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`productivity of the process, to increase the production accuracy or quality of production
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`of the process and to minimize labor costs and other costs associated with manual
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`operational errors within the plant or process.
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`[0025] More particularly, the process management system performs inventory
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`management by documenting, tracking and recording the location of received raw
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`materials in an inventory area of a plant using the 3D RFID detection and tracking
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`system. The system updates the inventory by tracking the movement of the raw
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`materials from the inventory area to other areas of the plant where the raw materials are
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`13
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`
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`converted into intermediate products and/or finished goods. The system also directs
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`process or production activities by first determining the required inputs (e.g., the raw
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`materials), the required process activities (e.g., the process steps), and the generated
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`outputs (e.g., the finished goods) in each stage of a manufacturing process. The
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`system then regulates or manages the overall process or production flow by tracking
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`and directing the movement of material inputs to and material outputs from each
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`manufacturing stage using RFID tags, thereby improving efficiency, reducing downtime
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`and cutting overall costs in the plant. Still further, the system also manages the
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`delivery, loading and shipping of finished goods by tracking the movement of finished
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`goods within a loading bay of the plant to assure that the correct goods (for a particular
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`job order or job number) are placed onto the correct truck for shipping or delivery to the
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`customer. The system may also assure that the right number of goods are loaded, and
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`may automatically generate, for example in real-time, a bill of landing including the
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`exact goods loaded onto the truck. Moreover, if desired, the system may assure that
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`finished goods are loaded onto a truck in the proper order to assure that unloading the
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`truck is easier or more efficient when, for example, the truck must make multiple
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`deliveries to different locations.
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`[0026]
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`Fig.
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`1 illustrates an example inventory and process management system 10
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`including a command system 12 connected to an RFID detection and tracking system
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`that includes a network of one or more electronically steerable phased array antenna
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`systems 14 connected to a processor (not shown) that directs or operates the antennas
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`in a manner described in more detail herein and performs RFID detection and tracking.
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`While the phased array antenna systems 14 use an electronically steerable beam for
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`14
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`RFID detection and tracking, other forms of directional antenna systems, for example,
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`mechanically steerable beam antennas such as rotatable or movable parabolic
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`antennas, Yagi antennas, log periodic antennas, corner antennas, etc. may also be
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`implemented to perform RFID detection and tracking. The process management
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`system 12 is also connected to one or more process controllers 16, each controlling
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`process activities in one of a set of manufacturing stages 18a to 18d associated with a
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`manufacturing process 19. The manufacturing process 19 may, in this example, include
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`an inventory stage 20 and a shipping stage 21, which are not controlled by the process
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`controllers 16. With reference to Fig. 1, the manufacturing process 19 includes four
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`manufacturing stages, but generally speaking, the manufacturing process 19 could
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`include any other number of manufacturing stages. During operation, material inputs
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`and material outputs at each stage of the manufacturing process 19 are tagged with
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`RFID tags 22 for identification and tracking. The phased array antenna systems 14,
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`which may be, by way of example, any of the systems sold by RF Controls LLC and/or
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`disclosed in U.S. Pub. No. 2010/0207738 (the entire disclosure of which is hereby
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`expressly incorporated by reference herein), are used to detect and track the location
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`and movement of the RFID tagged material inputs and material outputs and use this
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`tracking information to manage the manufacturing process 19 using, for example, the
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`controllers 16. Although Fig.
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`1 illustrates the phased array antenna systems 14 as
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`having three antenna elements 24, the phased array antenna systems 14 in general
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`may include any number of antenna elements.
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`[0027] Generally speaking, the command system 12 includes a processor 25 for
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`implementing functions, routines and instructions stored in a memory 26, a user
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`15
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`interface 27 for accepting user inputs, one or more databases 28 for storing data, and a
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`control module 29 for interfacing with the process controllers 16 via, for example, an
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`Ethernet connection or any other desired wired or wireless communication network 30.
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`The process management system 10 of Fig. 1 also includes an RFID module 31 (which
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`is part of the RFID tracking system for interfacing with and potentially controlling the
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`phased array antenna systems 14 via, for example, an Ethernet connection or other
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`type of communication network 32. Still further, the command system 12 includes a
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`communication module 33 for communicating with workers and other operators. The
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`communication module 33 transmits data to and receives information from various
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`information user terminals such as a computer station 34, a personal data assistant
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`(PDA) 36, or a headset 38 via a communication antenna 40. However, the
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`communication module 33 may communicate with any other type of user interface using
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`any known wired or wireless communication technologies. Moreover, if desired, the
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`RFID module 31 may be implemented as software run in a processor in the form of
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`edgeware, to preprocess the data received from the phased array antenna systems 14
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`and/or to control the phased array antenna systems 14.
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`[0028]
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`In a general sense, the command system 12 uses the phased array antenna
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`systems 14 to track the location and movement of the RFID tagged inputs and outputs
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`within inventory and within the plant to handle or perform inventory management in the
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`inventory stage 20, to control or manage process flows in the manufacturing stages 18a
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`to 18d, and to manage shipping in the shipping stage 21, all in a manner that increases
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`the efficiency of the plant, assures or increases product quality and helps to assure
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`correct material flows within the plant. Beginning in the inventory stage 20, received
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`16
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`
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`inputs such as raw materials like paper rolls are tagged with the RFID tags 22 and are
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`stored in an inventory. The storage location of the RFID tagged raw material is
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`recorded and tracked by the command system 12 so that the raw materials can be
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`located in the inventory at any time without the need of a handheld RFID receiver or of a
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`movable receiver on a forklift, for example.
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`[0029] Moreover, when a job order or production run is started, the command system
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`12 determines which raw materials to use, and notifies the workers of the location of the
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`raw materials in the inventory via information terminals (e.g., computer station 34, PDA
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`36 or headset 38) based on the RFID tag of these materials so that the correct raw
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`materials can be picked up for the job order.
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`In one case, the amount of raw materials
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`(e.g., the amount of paper of a roll) that can be used for the job order and the amount of
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`raw materials remaining on each such roll are calculated or are tracked by the
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`command system 12 in order to keep the inventory stock up to date. Further, in the
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`subsequent manufacturing stages 18a to 18d, required material inputs and generated
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`material outputs are tagged with the RFID tags 22 for identification and tracking by the
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`command system 12. The command system 12 determines the required inputs and the
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`required process activities to execute the job order at each manufacturing stage, and
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`tracks the movement of the tagged material inputs to ensure that the correct material
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`inputs are received at the correct manufacturing stage at the correct time (i.e., for the
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`particular job order being run).
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`If the wrong material inputs are received at a particular
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`manufacturing step or process by mistake, then the command system 12 may suspend
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`the process activities in the manufacturing stage until the correct material inputs are in
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`place. Alternatively, the command system 12 may notify a user of the problem via, for
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`17
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`
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`example, one of the user interface devices 34, 36, 38 or via lights, alarms etc. disposed
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`at appropriate places in the plant.
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`[0030] When the correct material inputs are received or are present at an input to a
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`manufacturing step or process, the command system 12 may direct or enable the
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`process controllers 16 to execute typical or standard process control functions to run
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`and regulate the various process activities (e.g., starting or stopping process machines,
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`running process steps, controlling throughputs, etc.) that are needed to complete the job
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`order or at least that step of the manufacturing process associated with the job order.
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`If
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`needed, the materials output by a particular stage or step of a manufacturing process
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`may be provided with an new RFID tag to identify the existence of these materials in the
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`plant as intermediate products. The command system 12 then tracks and may direct
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`the movement of the generated material outputs (the intermediate products) to the next
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`stage in the manufacturing process 19.
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`[0031]
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`Finally, in the shipping stage 21, completed outputs such as finished goods
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`are tagged with the RFID tags 22 and are held in a loading bay. To ensure proper
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`delivery to customers, the command system 12 matches the correct finished goods and
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`the cor